More on Delicious White Bordeaux Wines

I
promised to talk about French Sauternes this week. Sauternes are always sweet,
meaning that not all the grape sugar has turned into alcohol during
fermentation. A dry French Sauternes doesn't exist. The Barsac district,
adjacent to Sauternes, has the option of using Barsac or Sauternes as its
appellation.

Sauternes
is still producing one of the best sweet wines in the world and the main grape
varieties are Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. You may notice that the same grapes are
used in the dry Graves wine as well. The most
important difference is that the best Sauternes is made primarily with the Sémillon
grape. Second, to make Sauternes, the winemaker leaves the grapes on the vine
longer. He waits for a mold called Botrytis cinerea ("noble rot") to
form. When "noble rot" forms on the grapes, the water within them evaporates
and they shrivel. Sugar becomes concentrated as the grapes "raisinate." Then,
during the winemaking process, not all the sugar is allowed to ferment into
alcohol: hence, the high residual sugar.

Posted by Kevin Zraly

In the early 1970s, Kevin Zraly traded beer bottles for wine bottles, and he's never looked back. When Kevin's not sipping a glass of red or tasting from a bottle of white, you'll find him in the classroom teaching wine lovers of all ages. After 38 years of teaching, Kevin is still head over heels in love with wine (and beer). Read More

Kevin Zraly loves wine, and he wants you to love it too. That's why he's sharing his best tips and tricks to help you navigate wine-store shelves, choose great bottles, and pair your favorites with the perfect complementary dishes.
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